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What should it say on a label: Is it "ladies' beer" or "ladies beer?"

anette fisker
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  • Depends on what the purpose is. Are you creating a new type of beer that will be called this? I would definitely go with Ladies’ Beer, then. If this is an already existing type of beer, though, the correct spelling is however the company/people who make the beer have decided to spell it. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jun 02 '14 at 13:47
  • Of course, when the ladies happen to be named Beer, the apostrophe would be out of place. – oerkelens Jun 02 '14 at 14:04
  • So the question is unanswerable until we're told which phrase LADIES_BEER. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 02 '14 at 14:16
  • @oerkelens named Beer? As in "I present to you the Lord and Lady Beer, Duke and Duchess of Hops!"? – Digital Chris Jun 02 '14 at 15:08

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Both "Ladies' Beer" and "Ladies Beer" are acceptable, but there is a slightly different implication depending on which you use.

"Ladies' Beer" is written in the possessive form, and thus implies ownership. It would be equivalent to "beer belonging to ladies" or "beer for ladies."

"Ladies Beer" is written using "ladies" as an adjective, and does not imply ownership as explicitly. While it might still mean either of the two examples above (and it will most likely be understood this way), it could also mean "beer made by ladies" or any other sort of formation relating beer and ladies.

Because something along the lines of "beer for ladies" is most likely the intended meaning, you are more like to see "Ladies' Beer" than "Ladies Beer", even though both are acceptable.

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    Could you provide some evidence that ladies's is accepted in any style, please? The plural possessive is normally never written 's. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jun 02 '14 at 15:24
  • I have to agree with Janus; I have only heard a possessive plural s in very, very colloquial situations or around young children. – Anonym Jun 02 '14 at 16:52